CurÚ National Wildlife Refuge

Size: 84 hectares
Distance from San José: 151 kilometers via road and boat
Camping: Not permitted
Dry season: January through March

Curú is one of the littlest wildlife refuges. Located on the Nicoya peninsula, it is an important repository for plants and animals that have been extirpated from their former ranges in this part of the country. There is excellent birding and wildlife watching here, and a good network of trails. The beach is an important nesting area for the leatherback, ridley and hawksbill turtles.

The swollen-thorn acacia is of great biological interest because its relationship with ants. The ants, which bite viciously, protect the plant from being eaten by insects or other animals at the same time that they kill any plant that touches or grows near the acacia. In exchange for this protection, the acacia provides the ants with food and shelter: orange-colored Beltian bodies which grow at its leafy tips and sugared substances that are secreted in the nectaries of the petioles in the leaves which they can eat, and hollow thorns where they can live. The mangrove swamp, located behind Curú Beach, is made up of red mangrove, which is the most abundant, tea mangrove, black mangrove, buttonwood mangrove, and white mangrove.

Thanks to the Shutz family, who own the farm surrounding the reserve, are responsible for its preservation. In Costa Rica, 50 meters from the low-tide line is considered public property, no matter what is behind it. As marine resources were being used up elsewhere, people from the area and elsewhere began overfishing Curú's waters, and overharvesting oysters and other shellfish. They contacted the Wildlife Directorate about giving the 50-meter beachfront zone protected status, and that's how Curú Wildlife Refuge was born.

It is possible to observe a fairly varied number of animals in the reserve and neighboring forest, especially birds. 115 species of both land and sea birds have been observed. Some of the most numerous are the cattle egret, white-fronted amazon, turquoise-browed motmot, lineated woodpecker, barn swallow, broad-winged hawk, laughing falcon, red-billed pigeon and magpie jay. Crabs abound, both on the beach and inland. The coastal waters are home to oysters (Ostrea stokesii) - a species which has almost disappeared - giant conch, lobsters, and chiton which covers the rocks at the edge of Curú and Quesera Points.

The refuge boasts three beautiful scenic beaches. Their gradual slope, gentle surf and clear waters make them ideal for swimming and diving. Curú Beach stretches 40 meters wide and 900 meters long around a bay. If you want white sand beaches you must go to Quesera and Poza Colorada Beaches, and you won't be disappointed.

Habitats found here: semi-deciduous forest, deciduous forest, hill forest, mangrove swamp, and littoral woodland.

Animals seen here: white-tailed deer, raccoon, paca, southern opossum, howler monkey, white-faced capuchin monkey, coyote, white-nosed coati, and common long-nosed armadillo, ctenosaurs, green iguana and boa constrictor.

Trees found here: the silk cotton, Panama redwood, spiny cedar, locust, gonzalo alves, ear tree, rain tree and cabbage bark, swollen-thorn acacia.